MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Arizona mental health laws allow for involuntarily evaluation. Arizona’s progressive mental health laws allow for family, friends or acquaintances to petition a local court for the mental evaluation of an individual, reports National Public Radio. Although the clinical status of Jared Loughner’s mental health is not known, people who knew him could have legally intervened to have him evaluated and therefore prevented him from buying a gun.
EPA moves to phase out fluoride-based pesticide. The Environmental Protection agency’s proposal is linked to the Obama administration’s decision to curb the levels of fluoride in drinking water out of concern for children’s health, reports The New York Times.
DOJ sues NYC over Medicaid abuse. The Justice Dept. filed a Medicaid fraud lawsuit against New York City alleging the city overcharged its citizens for 24-hour services, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Medical residents as taxpayers. Medical residents are not students — at least as far as the IRS is concerned. In a unanimous verdict, the Supreme Court ruled against Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota by saying residents have to pay social security taxes. Because residents work at least 40 hours a week, they don’t fall under the tax exemption students typically receive.
The move will generate about $700 million in taxes for the government. Medical schools bemoan the lost money.
“At a time when our members are looking at reduced resources, we could have used these resources for other things, like patient care and education programs,” Ivy Baer, regulatory counsel at the Association of American Medical Colleges, told Dow Jones.
Healthcare employment and mixed messages. Mass layoffs in hospitals started to dip at the end of last year and there will be pay increases across the healthcare industry. However, the 2.6 percent pay increases predicted this year are lower than what’s forecasted in other industries, according to a survey by Hay Group.
Lilly’s so-so diabetes research alliance. A $387 million alliance between Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim will focus on developing new diabetes drugs. ’I don’t think it cures what ails Lilly,” Erik Gordon, a business professor at the University of Michigan who follows the drug industry, told The New York Times. “Lilly has a real pipeline problem. They have tremendous patent fall-off. Lilly didn’t get its hands on anything that’s going to replace the revenue that disappears, and they didn’t get their hands on anything that keeps Lilly as the leader in the diabetes space.’
Janumet FDA review. Merck says the FDA is now reviewing its Type 2 diabetes pill.
Dealflow and more. Cancer drugmaker VAXIMM raised $8 million; peripheral artery disease medical device company Avinger raised $25 million and ADHD business NextWave Pharmceuticals raised $45 million. They also raised money for research on how to get rid of vertigo.
Tribute to medical Innovation. The Council on American Medical Innovation will today webcast their summit “Medical Innovation at the Crossroads: Choosing the Path Ahead (you can watch it live online).” Whether you attend or not, you’ll likely appreciate the a video created ahead of the summit that pays tribute to medical innovation.
Material from MedCity News was used in this report.
